Category: Uncategorized

Next Best Thing Challenge

On By Stephanie IngramIn Uncategorized12 Comments

I’ve been a bit of a slacker lately when it comes to posting on my blog. I haven’t forgotten. I just sort of let things slip through my fingers while I struggle to finish my ‘latest and greatest’ and still enjoy summertime before the minions return to school.

Imagine my surprise when lo and behold, Christina McKnight tagged me in the “Next Best Thing Challenge”. This is just the sort of thing I needed to help get me on the right track and get my butt back to posting. Thanks, Christina!

For those of you that don’t know Christina, I highly recommend that you check out her blog titled “Life – Love, Family, and Passion”. I’m following and you should be too. If you want to keep up with Christina via Twitter, you can find her HERE.

So, on to the rules of the challenge…

  • Answer the 10 NBTC questions below
  • Spread the fun and tag 5 awesome people to participate

Easy, right? Yeah, I thought so too.

My latest and greatest is finally taking shape and I hope to have it in your hands soon. I’m going to whet your appetite by answering these questions for this work-in-progress rather than beat my already published book to death…

1. What is the title of your book/WIP?

My current work-in-progress is titled Ghosts Don’t Wear Silk Stockings. I’m hoping for a September release.

2. Where did the idea for the book come from?

Under the bed, where all the best ideas are kept.

Seriously? I don’t know! One day I sat down with the intent to write an erotic romance story. I gave up on it about ten pages into the story and decided that an erotic romance author I am not. About a year later I was browsing my files and came across that half-hearted attempt at erotica and while I cringed at the erotic parts, I realized that I liked the idea and I could take it in an entirely different direction. So, I played around and wrote a bit more and next thing you know, I’ve got a bit of a wacky tale of finding love in all the wrong places.

3. What genre would your book fall under?

This is definitely of the paranormal variety. Is there such a thing as paranormal chick-lit?

4. Which actors would you choose your characters to play in a movie rendition?

This is a toughie. I don’t know actors well enough to cast them as the characters in my book and I’d probably be wrong if I tried. Ha! I’ll get back to you on that one…

5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Eeeks… only one sentence? I’m not very good at this part but here goes…

Brianna ached for marriage and her happily ever after but what she got was one smoking hot demon promising immortality, a moody ghost complaining about her choices, and an ex-boyfriend that refused to drop dead.

6. Is your book published or represented?

Not yet. Want to recommend a home?

7. How long did it take you to write?

The first version took a few months of stops and starts. Then I handed off the first twenty chapters to my beta readers while I bit my nails and focused on the ending. I scrapped the ending and after feedback on those first twenty, I scrapped most of that too. The story I end up with will not resemble its original. Crazy but true. I’m up to version five and it’s taken somewhere in the vicinity of eight months to get this far. Some of that time I spent writing. Some of that time I spent cursing my story and wondering why I call myself a writer.

8. What other books in your genre would you compare it to?

I’ve not read anything I can compare this to. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing? I like to think that it’s Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series with a paranormal twist. You might disagree, however.

9. Which authors inspired you to write this book?

Janet Evanovich meets Stephen King? (The mind boggles, doesn’t it?)

10. Tell us anything else that might pique our interest in your book.

If you read my book, you’ll lose weight, look good, and feel great!

Okay, not really, but it sure sounds good, doesn’t it? That would pique my interest.

If you enjoy paranormal suspense with a comic twist and a sexy hero that makes jaws drops and toes curl … then my story might be worth a read. If you appreciate an author that takes something ordinary and puts an unusual spin on it, well, I might just be your girl. Most of all, if you consider this blog post even remotely entertaining then by all means, give the book a try.

Now on to the five awesome people I’d love to see take part in this challenge! You guys are superstars…

Mae Clair

Megan Trennett

James Garcia, Jr.

Karen Einsel

M.L. Falconer

Blog Awards and Reminiscing

On By Stephanie IngramIn Uncategorized4 Comments

Back in my day … watermelon had seeds in it and half the fun of eating it was to spit the seeds on the ground and wonder if they’d grow.

Sound familiar? If you’re my friend on Facebook, it does. I posted this as my status yesterday evening after my son freaked out at dinner because he found a brown seed in his watermelon. He didn’t know what to do with it. Maybe I’m a bad parent, but I found his predicament slightly amusing. After all, to me, watermelon is supposed to be littered with brown seeds. That used to be half the fun.

And again, maybe I am weird.

I also remember when the weather was pleasant enough to spend every day outside. We didn’t get into “the three H’s” (Hazy, Hot, and Humid) until late summer and even then, we weren’t in high 90’s to 100’s *every* day. Today I look out my window to brown grass and July has only just begun. I looked at the current temp and remarked, “OH! It’s only 90 right now.”

Only? I should never have to say “only 90” as if this is a good thing.

Should I keep complaining or are you getting sick of me yet? Hmmmm…

Moving along… Karen Einsel has surprised me with a blog award today – or three, I’m not sure. I got a little confused. I’m easily confused. Cut me some slack, it’s hot, remember? Regardless, I want to offer Karen my sincere gratitude. I’m very flattered! Thank you! Please click HERE to check out Karen’s blog and learn a little more about her. It’s a great read, I promise.

First: The Rules.

1. Include the award logo somewhere in your blog.
2. Answer the 9 questions below
3. Nominate 10 to 12 blogs you enjoy. Or you pick the number.

4. Pay the love forward: Provide your nominee’s link in your post and comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been included and invited to participate.

5. Pay the love back with gratitude and a link to the blogger(s) who nominated you. 

While I am very flattered and happy to participate, doesn’t this sort of thing kind of remind you of chain letters? Back in my day (yes, I’m going there again), chain letters came in an envelope via the mailman. We had to copy them and mail them to X number of our friends. Later, it came by email. I guess nowadays it comes by blog. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind. Gives me something to post if nothing else. I’m just relieved that I’m not promised some version of a horrific fate for not completing the rules exactly, especially since I am breaking the rules a bit. I am not going to nominate others. Not because I don’t know any terrific bloggers. I sure do! I follow many entertaining blogs and I will recommend all of them in a heartbeat. What I don’t want to do is spam people, especially the ones I really like, and that’s kind of what I feel like I’m doing if I list a bunch of people who are obligated to follow these rules.

So… in effect, if YOU are reading this blog and you have a blog of your own, then YOU are nominated! This is doubly true if you also happen to follow MY blog and I follow YOURS. BAM! There you go… that’s easily more than 20. 😉 You know who you are so come on, hop to it. Don’t pretend that I can’t see you hiding in the corner…

Alright then, here are the blog awards:

Wow! Now I really feel special. Thanks, Karen. 🙂

Questions for me to answer from award #1:

What is your favorite colour?

Red!

What’s your favorite animal?

This is a tough one. I love most. I’ve always had a thing for dolphins though.

 What’s your favorite non-alcoholic drink?

Coke

Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook for keeping up with family and old friends. Twitter for  making new friends.

What is your favorite pattern?

Plaid, especially in the form of shirts on a man.

Favorite number?

5

Favorite day of the week?

Saturday. Family time!

Favorite flower?

I love all flowers and my favorite changes all the time.

What is your passion?

Writing!

***

Most Inspiring Blogger Award – Need to share seven things about myself that you don’t already know. This shouldn’t be too tricky since 99.9% of you don’t know me all that well. (yet)…

Hmmm… so what do I share??

1) I hate butter and all its wannabe counterparts such as margarine and the like. I mean, I really, really hate it and I have since I was a kid. People have often thought me strange because I will eat plain toast, plain baked potatoes, and plain corn on the cob. If I go to a restaurant and forget to ask for “no butter” on my pancakes, I can’t touch them. The sight and smell of butter melting over pancakes is enough to make me feel sick to my stomach.

2) As a kid, I was so skinny that my family nicknamed me Pretzel Legs. Once at the pediatrician’s office, the doctor asked me my name and I responded, “Pretzel Legs”. My mum was a tad embarrassed. 😉

3) My favorite sport is ice hockey. (Go Penguins!)

4) I once swore that I’d marry Simon LeBon from Duran Duran. I joined the Duran Duran fan club in Birmingham, England and protested when the band split. I never did marry Simon but I did eventually visit England and met the man that I would marry, a native of Birmingham. We share an interest in music.

5) I am an INFP and an Aries.

6) I still think that Ghostbusters is one of the most amazing movies ever made. I secretly believe that I was put in this world to write screenplays this brilliant and when I overcome my fear of writing one, the rest will fall into place.

7) I am Mom to three boys. Because of #4, my kids will always have citizenship to both the US and the UK. I think that’s pretty cool.

That is probably more about me than you ever wanted to know! If you accept these wonderful awards (and I sure hope you do) then please make sure to send me a note so that I can learn more about YOU too!

Happy Weekend! See you next time for Six Sentence Sunday when I will share a snippet from something new.

Stephanie Ingram: Blogging with Style

On By Stephanie IngramIn Uncategorized1 Comment

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the academy… errr, I mean, Mae Clair, for honoring me with this Stylish Blogger Award! What an unexpected surprise.

Now, how cool is that? I have been asked to share the last time that I dressed up, which admittedly has made me chuckle a bit. After all, I am a stay-at-home mom of three kids and it’s the middle of summer. As I graciously accept this award, I am sitting in the midst of kid chaos in a living room covered completely in toys – Trio blocks, cars, trucks, garages… you name it, it’s probably on my floor. We’re lucky that I took the time to shower this morning, let alone put much thought into what I should wear for the occasion.

I’m struggling to remember the last time I put thought into getting dressed up. After all, even when I do get dressed up, it’s still usually more about comfort than style. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll never find me at Walmart in pajamas, or even sweat pants for that matter. It’s more a case of favoring my jeans and t-shirts over anything else. I’m also completely a bare foot kind of girl. Keep the heels and hand over the flip flops.

Probably the last time I dressed up was for my cousin’s wedding two years ago. Eeks! Has it really been that long? Wow, maybe it’s time to get a babysitter and plan a fancy evening out with the hubby? At any rate, for the wedding I wore a satin black sleeveless dress with white polka dots. It’s one of my favorites so I’ve kept it in the closet hoping for another chance to wear it. I paired the dress with very simple, straight-to-the-point black shoes with low heels.

Now on to more important things. It’s my turn to nominate others for this prestigious Blogging with Style Award. Can I have a drum roll, please? Without further ado, I offer you…

Congratulations, guys! Can’t wait to read your posts…

Those Who Walk Unseen

On By Stephanie IngramIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Here is another one originally posted by me on blogger waaayy back in January of this year. (Why does that feel like a lifetime ago?) I didn’t realize how much I like this post until I recently re-read it. Maybe it’s just that I like thinking about all those unanswered questions? Even though I wrote this post in January, I’m still working on that second novel. Gosh darn it, why is it taking so long? I should have that thing published and in your hands by now, surely! 😉

***

Last week I wrote an entry about life existing in other parts of the universe. This is an exciting possibility. But what if we didn’t even have to leave the planet in order to find other forms of life beyond those that we’re already so familiar with finding from day-to-day? What if gates to “other worlds” really existed right in our own backyard?

Science fiction likes this idea. “Portals” take characters from one world to the next in an instant. It’s a convenient way to get around the physical limitations of building a spacecraft that will enable us to travel the universe within the astronaut’s lifetime.

I’ve always had a fascination with the “unseen” and the possibilities that could exist. Have you ever seen a ghost? Some claim they have. Is it so improbable that the energy that makes up our existence could not echo even long after our earthly form has turned to dust? Do ghosts have the capability for rational thought and control over their own actions? Maybe. Maybe not. Why are some of us more sensitive to this energy than others? And anyway, what really happens when we die?

So let’s assume we don’t want to accept that ‘ghosts’ are some remnant of human life. What if, instead, we choose to believe that there is essentially a world of beings that can walk in our world unseen? Maybe they keep trying to contact us but for whatever reason, our minds are closed to their existence and we continue to look the other way?

Surely, there will be a few of us that come into contact with these beings even if later we question our sanity. Maybe some of us believe that our lives were touched by the intervention of a guardian angel that watches over us? I like to think that we are all interconnected in ways that we can’t begin to understand and there is a lot to our world that remains unseen. The rest of you probably just think I’m a little loony. That’s okay, too.

However, if you’ve read my book, you already know this is a premise that I love to explore. Yalen comes from a world that exists in tangent with our own but that we aren’t the least bit aware of … except for those rare exceptions. I had a lot of fun thinking about new possibilities for guardian angels. My next book will have some fun with demons.

What do you think about the concept of life existing unseen amongst our own?

 

Aliens Have Landed

On By Stephanie IngramIn Uncategorized9 Comments

When I was a kid, aliens landed in the field behind my house. They kept themselves well hidden by moving through underground tunnels left behind by abandoned coal mines. No one else noticed the lights that disappeared into the ground. My brother and I did, however, and we set out on a mission to discover what those aliens were doing and to prove their existence to the unbelieving adults around us.

Eventually we realized that the adults in our life may have been right and our quest to find the aliens wouldn’t lead us anywhere. We gave up and moved on to other things. Even still, I look out at the night sky once in a while and wonder “what if?” What if we had discovered something that no one else was aware existed? What if we did uncover the secret plot of aliens as they watched us? What if we just got a little too close one day?

My brother and I weren’t just alien hunters, of course. We were also quite experienced in the paranormal. After all, we had two resident ghosts that kept us occupied as we tried to conjure all the possibilities between who they were and why they set up camp at our house. I don’t think we ever came to any real conclusions but we had a lot of fun talking about them and waiting for something to happen. (And yes, once in while creepy things did happen!)

One could argue that like typical kids, we had some pretty overactive imaginations but I look back on those days fondly. In many ways they are the fuel for the stories that I write today. The inspiration behind my first attempts at writing a full-length novel came from our ghost “experiences”. That novel wasn’t very good, as most first novels aren’t, but the idea still lingers and I keep wondering if perhaps someday I won’t revisit my original ghost story and turn it into something better? That “perfect” ghost story is always in the back of mind … just waiting for the moment to escape into the world.

Just as one day, I will likely uncover the secrets of the alien hideaway as I follow the footsteps of the two crazy kids who dared to get just a little too close…